


The war of the heavens

by Dissenter



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: After Reborn is done being a cockblocker, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate universe HomeSky/WarSky, BAMF Fon, Definitely Aoife's fault, Eventual Sex, Flame Bonding, Flame Sealing, Kyouya is pissed off, M/M, Paperwork, Politics, Sky Kyouya, War, Worldbuilding, culture clash, so is tsuna, the Vongola fucked up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-04 01:54:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13354047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dissenter/pseuds/Dissenter
Summary: War Sky Tsuna and Home Sky Kyouya declare war on the Vongola.





	1. Sword and Shield

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Night-Mare (Aoife)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoife/gifts).
  * Inspired by [To Claim a Sky (HomeSky!Dino & WarSky!Tsuna)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12692751) by [Night-Mare (Aoife)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoife/pseuds/Night-Mare). 



> In which Kyouya finds the Sword to his Shield, and is not pleased when the Vongola try to steal it away from him.

From an early age Kyouya’s parents had told him what the burning bright orange flames that danced under his skin meant. That he was Namimori’s Shield, the sheltering Sky, and he’d been so _proud_ of that. It had been three generations since Namimori had been sheltered by the heavens and it would be up to him to return it to its former glory. He’d been prepared to do it alone.

Then he met Sawada Tsunayoshi, and something in his soul rang out with the widening of possibility. He looked at his fellow Sky and his flames had blazed with the promise that here was a partner, an ally, someone to share his rule, and his territory. His parents had told him about this too, although they had warned him it was vanishingly rare. Alone he was only half of the Sky, and that in itself was no small thing. But if he could find his other half, the Sword, together, they would be _unstoppable._

Tsunayoshi was his Sword, and he might be young and timid but he was no herbivore. Not when he was right on the edge of lighting up with the purifying Flames that would strike down their enemies as a true carnivore should. Not when Kyouya could feel the power and resonance coming from his soul. Kyouya had been inpatient, but his Flames whispered _soon, soon,_ that soon he would have a hunting partner worthy of him, and they’d never lied to him before, so he waited and watched, on the boundaries of Tsunayoshi’s life.

They were right, it had only taken a week of Kyouya’s subtle observation for his Sword to go active, and it had been everything Kyouya had hoped for. The sheer determination, the force of will, it was intoxicating, and when he’d approached that bright blaze, cautious and confident as a cat, no words had been needed. Just his Flames, rising to meet Tsuna’s in that deadly predators dance that was the first stage of building the throne of the heavens together. It had been beautiful.

After that, he and Tsuna had spent increasing amounts of time together. He’d taken Tsuna with him on patrol, it was after all, important to familiarise him with their territory. They’d spent increasing amounts of time together, and slowly slowly, their Flames blended into each other. If they’d been older the bond could have been sealed more quickly, but there were some techniques best left to adults and it wasn’t as though they were in a hurry. They could take the time to let their Skies weave together naturally.

Or at least that was what Kyouya had thought. Until those _herbivores_ had come and forced upon the both of them the unpleasant awareness of their own weakness. One day they would be unstoppable, but they were still young, their claws and fangs still growing, and adult herbivores would take advantage of that temporary weakness. He had felt the moment the blazing warmth of hi Sword’s flames had suddenly been snuffed out, and his Rage had known no bounds.

Kyouya didn’t entirely remember getting across town, but by the time he’d arrived the herbivores had already gone. Leaving his Sword sealed and unconscious and _cold._ Their fledgling bond had gone dark, painfully numb in the absence of Tsuna’s Flames and if those herbivores ever set foot in Namimori again he would b _ite them to death._

But they were gone, out of his reach, and he couldn’t leave his territory undefended, couldn’t leave Tsuna vulnerable. Hunting them down would have to be Tsuna’s task, once Kyouya figured out how to fix this.

…

Three weeks of trying, and Kyouya still hadn’t been able to pry the Seal loose. His Sword had been suffering for it too, his natural carnivores instincts stifled along with the fire of his soul, his instinct o fight buried under layers of cloying sickly sweet wrongness. Three weeks, and his other half thought slower, moved with less grace, had lost that instinctive understanding that had allowed the two of them to communicate without words. The situation could not continue.

So Kyouya did what he had sworn he would never do. He swallowed his pride and called his carnivore uncle. If anything could disintegrate that _abomination_ it would be the strongest Storm Flames in the world.

To his credit, Fon had come running. Kyouya might find him irritating, but he understood how to be loyal to family, and that was worth a great deal. He came, and when Kyouya showed him what had been done to Tsuna he had sworn, long, and loud, and creatively, in several different languages.

“That’s Vongola work.” He’d said, with a hard look in his eyes. “People don’t cross the Vongola lightly.” But all the same he’d begun his work on disintegrating the seal without hesitation, and Kyouya had felt his resentment of his uncle giving way to a kind of grudging respect.

It had in the end taken three months for Fon to finally succeed in burning away the last traces of the seal from Tsuna’s Flames, and over those months he and his uncle had come to an understanding. So much so that his Flames had started to reach out for his uncle, to harmonize. He could have stopped it, but he still remembered how vulnerable he and Tsuna had proved to be, how the Vongola had been able to seal away his Sword, and neither Sword nor Shield had been able to stop them. Fon was strong, if Kyouya hadn't known that already the fact that he’d been able to undo the work of a Vongola Sky would have proved it. If they’d had a guardian as strong as Fon when the Vongola herbivores came to call then maybe none of this would have happened in the first place.

And Fon was loyal, he’d proved that much, willing to risk everything for family, and the part of Kyouya that was Namimori’s Shield appreciated that. Fon himself was only too happy to bond with his nephew. And so the day the seal on Tsuna finally gave way, the two of them gained their first guardian.

They would grow stronger, they would gather their sets and solidify their hold over what was _theirs_ and if the Vongola ever came back, they would find Namimori wasn’t nearly so easy a target as it had been. They would never be that helpless again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea came to me as I was reading the latest update of "To claim a Sky". Because the idea of Sky Kyouya has been nagging at me for a while, and the Home Sky War Sky idea is just gold in all its iterations. And then before I knew it I had two chapters written.  
> Sword and Shield are the local terms for War Sky and Home Sky. Kyouya is indeed Home Sky, mostly because he's so territorial, and fixated on maintaining order in his place, rather than caring about the world outside.  
> Fon being one of their Guardians just sort of happened, but it fits, and becomes very relevant to later events. Kusakabe also bonds with them before the next chapter begins, he's lightning by the way. They will end up with two of each Flame type.


	2. Trouble at the door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna just really wants to get laid. Unfortunately with the Vongola interfering in his life again, that might just have to be put on hold for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Reborn arrives in Namimori and absolutely no-one is happy about it

It was a week until Tsuna turned fourteen and he couldn’t wait to claim his Shield. Kyouya said they had to wait until then, and it was very frustrating. Constant physical contact, be it cuddles and sparring, made it hard for him to stop thinking about it. What had been simple comfort when they were children had been taking on new dimensions lately, and Tsuna had been waking up more often than not with a rather embarrassing problem. It was even worse at school, when Kyouya would discipline troublemakers in front of him and he’d have to hide the unavoidable reaction to the proof of his other half’s devotion to their kingdom.

Not that Kyouya sympathised with his plight at all. Tsuna was pretty sure embarrassment was just yet another of those things that Kyouya didn’t really _get_ the way other people did. He’d once seen Kyouya stalking through the school in a uniform so torn up from fighting he really might as well not have been wearing it. He’d actually seemed confused when Tetsuya kun had told him off and forced him to change. It was kind of cute, in that uniquely homicidal Kyouya way. Fuck but Tsuna had it bad.

Still, he had an excuse. Kyouya was after all his Shield, the other half of his Sky, his partner in war, and peace, and everything in between. They just _fit_ in a way that was impossible to describe in words. It would have been more surprising if he didn’t have it bad. Not to mention Kyouya was extremely attractive.

Still, one week. He could hold out for one week. What could possibly go wrong in one week.

Later that day he would curse himself for tempting fate.

…

He’d got home to find a hitman sitting at his mother’s table drinking coffee. Not just any hitman either, an arcobaleno. Fon had made sure that both he and Kyouya could identify all the arcobaleno on sight, and knew not to engage _any_ of them without backup. If Reborn hadn’t been sitting at his mother’s table, Tsuna would probably have retreated to a more defensible location. But that would have left his mother at the man’s mercy, and that was something no self-respecting Sky could do. So instead, he sent a quick warning and request for backup down his bond with Kyouya, and walked in to stall for time.

“Hello” Reborn chirped, voice disturbingly cheerful. “I’m your new home tutor.”

“And why?” Tsuna asked, taking care not to let a trace of panic show in his voice, “Would a Vongola hitman be sent to be my home tutor? I believe the Vongola made their intentions very clear the _last_ time they came to visit.” He let a trace of the ice cold rage he struggled so hard to control escape in his voice then, and was gratified by how taken aback the arcobaleno was. Clearly something about him wasn’t what the Vongola had expected. He wondered if it was his personality or knowledge that was so surprising. Still Reborn wasn’t the best for nothing, he recovered quickly.

“I’m going to teach you to be the next boss of the Vongola.” He said with a smirk, and didn’t flinch when Tsuna let his wrath tinged flames flare up in response to the mention of the Vongola.

“Considering our last encounter, I wonder what could have happened to make the Vongola settle on me as their heir.” A flash of confusion there, almost too quick to see. Ah, so it seemed Reborn didn’t know about the seal. Interesting. He felt the warmth, and reassurance that meant Kyouya was close, with the knife edge balance of calm that meant Fon right behind him, and Testuya’s solid reliability waiting in the car, and he relaxed a touch. The slight shift did not escape Reborn’s notice but the others arrived before he could react. Tsuna pushed the advantage before Reborn could recover from the surprise of seeing Fon standing at Kyouya’s side.

“So what happened to the Vongola, to make them decide that their sworn enemy would make a good heir?” The story Reborn laid out was well, Tsuna could hardly believe the incompetence of it. Three heirs dead. One heir dead, well it happened, organised crime was a dangerous business, two heirs, that was bad but it could be explained by bad luck. Three heirs, well that was just carelessness, and if that was the level of competence in the most powerful family in the mafia. Well it was just shameful. Still, it should at least make it easier for he and Kyouya to burn it all to the ground, so there was that. He wondered idly why Reborn had failed to mention the fourth Vongola boy.

Kyouya had clearly lost interest by this point, and cut off Reborns explanation.

“You will leave our territory now. Because you are one of my Uncle’s colleagues you will be let off with a warning this time. Any further Vongola incursions will not be treated so leniently. Any Vongola employee found in Namimori will be bitten to death.” Tsuna’s hyper intuition whispered that if he and Kyouya had been alone Reborn might have made trouble, but Fon was there, a perfectly poised shadow in red, and so instead he chose to leave and regroup. After all, Reborn might be the best, but even he wouldn’t fight Fon without carefully considering his options, especially when he didn’t know what Tsuna or Kyouya might have up their sleeves to tip the balance. He tipped his hat and said that he’d be in the main hotel the town over, with a look that said he’d be getting to the bottom of this situation.

 It was only after he finally left the house that the coiled spring of tension that had lingered in the air between them finally dissipated. Tsuna knew better than to think he was gone for good of course. He would be back, once he had managed to get some better information, and figure out the angles of the situation, but the brief respite would give them a chance to plan. They’d always suspected the Vongola might return, why else would they have bothered to try and cripple Namimori’s Sword, but this, this was something they’d never expected. What kind of idiot cripples someone and then expects them to become their heir. Well apparently, the same kind of idiot that manages to get three legitimate heirs killed and lose the illegitimate one to some series of events too embarrassing for the family to even disclose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Tsuna does have Wrath Flames in this. There is a reason for that. It's a result of a combination of the sealing destabilising his Flames, and the heavy over exposure to Storm Flames that he received while Fon was removing it. Plus of course the fact that the whole incident really really pissed him off.   
> Tsuna and Kyouya haven't had sex yet because they were kids. But they're now teenagers, and hormones are starting to run wild. Tsuna really really wants to experiment. Kyouya is being responsible, sort of.   
> They both really, really hate the Vongola, thanks to the whole seal incident. They plan to destroy it. In a salt the earth sort of way. The Vongola has yet to realise this.  
> Next chapter is from Fon's point of view when he goes to have a talk with Reborn.


	3. Teatime diplomacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fon decides there are things he needs to discuss with Reborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Fon explains the situation to Reborn, and Reborn is not happy.

As Fon walked into Reborn’s hotel room he took care to submerse himself in the terrible calm at the eye of his storm. It was a conversation he needed to be calm for, raging would aid nothing.

Reborn looked up as he entered. Unsurprised, he had of course been expecting Fon’s visit, for much the same reason that Fon had been able to find him so quickly. They had been comrades for a long time, they knew how to predict each other.

“So, are you going to tell me how you ended up the Storm guardian for the Young Lion’s son?” Reborn was… actually off balance. Not something that happened often. Reborn never usually let _anything_ faze him. Fon savoured the moment a little, before he sat down in the armchair opposite his old comrade. For the sake of the history they shared, he at least owed Reborn a warning, and perhaps an explanation. It wasn’t like any of it was secret after all.

He waited patiently as Reborn poured the tea. Since bonding with Tsuna the wildness of the storm in his soul had been harder to still, but Fon had spent a lifetime standing in that calm in the heart of the raging winds, it would take more than one angry damaged teenager to unbalance him. So he waited perfectly poised, until the tea was served and both of them were settled in a civilised manner. Only then did he speak.

“I’m the Storm guardian for my nephew, and his Sword, the heavenly kings of Namimori.” He said mildly. “The fact that Namimori’s Sword happens to be the Young Lion’s son is largely irrelevant.” He’d caught Reborn off guard again, he could tell by the imperceptible widening of button black eyes. He allowed himself to smirk a little at the achievement.

“Sword and Shield?” Reborn asked, his tone indicated he’d already figured out what Fon meant, but Fon clarified anyway. Just to ensure there were no misunderstandings.

“War Sky and Home Sky, as they would say in Italy. Tsuna is War Sky in case you were wondering.”

“A Sky pair.” Reborn muttered in something that could have been respect or irritation. “And you’re sure they can’t be enticed to relocate to Italy.”

“Oh it’s worse than that Reborn. Much much worse.” He still didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation. He would.

“How much worse.” Reborn asked slowly.

“Kyouya has declared War on the Vongola, and Tsuna backs him fully.” Reborn looked like he was about to try and diplomacy, Fon decided to nip that in the blood.

“Make no mistake, this won’t be settled by anything less than blood. I’m giving you this warning as a fellow arcobaleno, as someone who considers you a friend, but I’ve already chosen my side and if you pick the other I won’t hold back.” Reborn took a moment to process the warning before asking the inevitable question.

“Why?” Fon took a long sip of tea.

“Ah, for that we’d have to go back eight years.” A flash of realisation in Reborn’s eyes. “That’s right, it goes back to the last time Tsuna’s father showed his face in Namimori.”

“ _What did they do Fon?”_

“You see eight years ago I received a phone call from my nephew Kyouya asking for help. Now as I’m sure you’ve noticed Kyouya isn’t really the type to ask for help from… anyone really, and trust me when I say he used to be far worse. So I’m sure you can see why I might find it alarming. Of course I came running, family is family, and I knew that if Kyouya was asking for help it was important.”

“And then what.” Reborn looked unsure about whether he wanted the answer to that question. Too bad, Fon was going to give it to him. If Reborn was going to align himself with Fon’s enemies he should know _exactly_ what kind of people he was working for.

“Then I came to Namimori to find someone had _sealed_ the other half of my nephew’s Sky. A fully resonant Sky Pair and they sealed the Sword away. Kyouya was going _insane_ trying to compensate for the lost balance. Even now he’s obsessed with maintaining order within Namimori as though if he can just control _everything_ within his territory outside threats won’t be able to gain a foothold.”

_“They sealed him.”_ Reborn had gone white. Fon took some comfort from the confirmation that Reborn wasn’t party to what Iemitsu and the ninth had done. He hadn’t _thought_ Reborn would be capable of something like that, but, it was good to be sure.

“I take it you didn’t know?”

“I was told they put a block on him to keep him from going active too young. I didn’t think they’d actually _seal_ an already Flame active child.” Fon didn’t comment on the fact that blocking a child with Sky potential was pretty dubious in itself, although not actually provably damaging.

“In any case I arrived in Namimori to find my nephew going half insane trying to break his other half loose and maintain the territory on his own and cope with the fact that someone had hurt his sword and he couldn’t do _anything_ about it, and Tsuna cold to the core and _suffocating_ under the seal they placed.” He took another sip of tea, before continuing. “It took me three months to pry that seal off Tsuna. Three months of constant work, it’s not surprising he ended up Stormy enough to manifest Wrath Flames, between my influence and his own justified anger at what they did to him.” Fon took a slow breath, forcibly calmed himself. “And think about it Reborn, it took three months of the strongest Storm in the world doing nothing else but try to unravel it. What do you imagine that would have done to a five year old Sky if it had been left alone?”

“I don’t have to imagine.” Reborn said, almost too low to hear. “There was a seal on Dino before they handed him over to me. It was too hard to keep him from trying to escape when he had access to his Sky flames.” He looked faintly ill at the memory. “It affected his co-ordination most I think, and his confidence, but I’m pretty sure it was making it harder for him to concentrate too.”

“Dino Cavallone?” Now Reborn had Fon off balance. “Tell me you got it off him.”

“It took about twice the recommended safe dosage of dying will bullets but I got it off.” Reborn nodded with vicious satisfaction. “There’s some lingering damage to his co-ordination when he’s not around any of his men, but aside from that he’ll be fine. Certainly no-one’s ever going to get close enough to do that to him again.”

“Small mercies. And you ask _why_ Kyouya would declare war on the Vongola.” Fon snapped, his patience worn thin by the rage under his skin.

“Dino’s Cavallone not Vongola.” Reborn argued, without much conviction.

“You and I both know the Cavallone would never do something like that without the Vongola’s approval.” Reborn slumped slightly.

“True enough. So it’s to be war then.” Fon nodded in quiet agreement.

“Yes. Just because I managed to get the seal off doesn’t change what they did, what they tried to do. Kyouya’s angry, Tsuna’s angry, _I’m_ angry. There is no way this is going to end peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter ended up going in a wildly different direction to what I expected. It looks like i'm going to be bringing Dino in a lot sooner than I expected.  
> I wasn't originally planning to have Dino suffering from the aftermath of being sealed but it works with the plot and adds some interesting twists so there it is.  
> Also Dino/Xanxus is confirmed, i'll do Xanxus/Aria in a different fic.


	4. Courtly manners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With war on the horizon, Tsuna and Kyouya need to add to their court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Tsuna and Kyouya hold Court.

So, it was beginning. Tsuna allowed himself a moment to curse at the Vongola’s timing, with the war upon them there would be little time for softer pleasures, and while the Storm rage in him loved the fight, the part of him that was all teenaged boy wished they could have waited just a little longer.

He allowed himself a moment and then he set his frustrations aside, because going to war with a power like the Vongola left no room for distractions. Even with the power that he and Kyouya held between them, the Vongala was not an enemy to be taken lightly.

By his side he could feel Kyouya, tense with gleeful anticipation of violence, and in front of them was Tetsuya, sword steel in their hands, strong and deadly efficient, and Fon was with Reborn, out of their territory but never out of range, not of the sheer power they wielded between them. They weren’t a full court, not yet, for all the half formed bonds strung out like spiders webs between them and those that could be theirs, for now there were only four of them, Sky and Sky and Storm and Lightning, power to be reckoned with, but nowhere near the full measure of their potential.

And for local disputes it had been enough. Even without a full court a fully resonant Sky pair was a force of nature that few dared trifle with, and with Fon as their Storm, an arcobaleno, a legend, possible enemies had learned to tread lightly around the borders of their territory. For Vongola though, just two full guardians wouldn’t be enough, they would need more, they would need their full court. Time was up.

…

They held Court in the main hall of Namimori middle school. Kyouya sat elegantly poised with the tea set while Tsuna meditated to saturate the air with bright orange flame, and Tetsuya stood guard over the two of them. Not that they weren’t perfectly capable of defending themselves if need be, Fon had made sure of that, but in formal settings it was important to maintain tradition, and tradition stated that the Lords of Heaven leave such concerns to their followers. Twofold symbolism, both a show of trust in their subordinates, and a demonstration of confidence in their own authority.

As their schoolmates arrived Tsuna could feel the whispers aggravating his Shield, and intensified his Flame output to soothe him. He didn’t blame them for being curious though, he and Kyouya didn’t exactly hold formal court often, and he knew they were a sight dressed in formal kimono and lit up in an orange glow that wasn’t quite fire. It was a shame Fon wasn’t there, but he was still with Reborn, and the chance that the Sun arcobaleno could be taken out of play on the Vongola side was worth his absence.

The citizens of Namimori knew something was up, none more so than the students of Namimori middle school, who had been drilled since Fon’s arrival in proper etiquette, and the glorious future of their town. Before long the room was filled, and the attention of their schoolmates was firmly fixed on the dais, where he and Kyouya sat. Tsuna gave them a moment to settle before easing up on his Flames.

This was a declaration of war, so it was his place to speak rather than Kyouya’s and he had to bite down on a sick feeling of apprehension as he stood. A King of Heaven couldn’t afford to show nervousness after all, even if these speeches had previously always been local business and therefore Kyouya’s responsibility.

“Citizens of Namimori.” He said, more softly than Kyouya ever spoke, but with no less conviction. “Today, the Vongola made their move. Today the Vongola sent the Sun arcobaleno into our city, thinking to steal Namimori’s Sky for their own. Today the Vongola discovered that Namimori is their enemy, and so, tomorrow the war begins.” Tsuna took a moment to look out over his people’s expressions, and felt a surge of warmth at the mixture of outrage and resolve on their faces. In the end, that was what made all of it worth it, all the weight of expectation and responsibility. It was worth it all a hundred time over, to be so loved by so many. His voice was stronger as he continued.

“If we are to wage war, we will need a full court, or as close to one as we can manage. There are those among you that have been courting with us, that we have been finding the beginnings of Harmony with. I know, we should have had more time, to consider, to enjoy the process, but war is upon us, and so I need you to make a choice. Will you step away now, or will you step forward, will you follow us into war, join your lights to ours, and stand by us for all eternity.” The rumble of support from the crowd went almost unnoticed in the bright blazing response from every one of those cobweb fine connecting threads that marked a bond not yet set. They were his, all of them, his and Kyouya’s, and they hadn’t so much as hesitated.

He and Kyouya were silent as tradition dictated, while Tetsuya called up their new guardians. Yamamoto Takeshi was first to reach the dais, with an easy smile, and sharp eyes, and a sword at his hip, and for all his casual attitude his manners were impeccable. His father Tsuyoshi knew the traditions and no doubt had made sure Takeshi was drilled on them ‘till he was word perfect as soon as it became clear what Tsuna and Kyouya were.

He knelt to Tsuna first, let Tsuna brush his forehead with the bare hands that were his primary weapons, and their Flames rang like a bell as they connected. Then he went to Kyouya, and waited quietly as Kyouya served him tea with Sky fire dancing on its surface, he swallowed it all in one go, as tradition dictated and he was theirs, in a dizzying rush of blue and rightness.

The Sasagawa siblings came next, together as always, and maybe it was a little improper, but Tsuna wasn’t Kyouya, he didn’t sulk at impropriety, and only a fool would try and separate those two. They knelt together, and drank together, and even Kyouya couldn’t argue it didn’t fit, when their twined yellow and blue Flames all wrapped up in each other reached out to twine themselves in with his and Tsuna’s Sky.

Hana was half a step behind Kyouko, and she didn’t kneel, Clouds never did, no matter what tradition demanded, and he had held eye contact as he brushed his hand over hers.

“We’d better win this, Monkey king.” She’d said to Kyouya with a razor edged grin, and he had held his silence, but matched it, just as the violet tinge to his own orange flames intensified in response. Tsuna wasn’t the only one who’d been affected by those months he’d spent sealed, there was a lot of Cloud to Kyouya’s Sky.

Shouichi had been a startling contrast to Hana’s confidence, nervous, and not entirely sure of the etiquette, he wasn’t a Namimori middle student, hadn’t had the benefit of Fon’s lessons. Tsuna remembered how they’d met, a chance collision in the street that had spiralled into conversation, and, eventually, Shouichi’s promise to build Tsuna a giant robot one day. He might have been inelegant, but he was utterly sincere and the taste of his Sun, every bit as strong as Ryouhei’s had been although very different in focus.

Mochida had followed, blunt, and proud, and angryangryangry, but above all else loyal, above all else determined, and Tsuna had no doubt that his blade and the red fire that danced along it belonged to them for always.

Tsuna had thought that was an end of it. Not a full court, but as close to one as they could manage on such short notice, but then a thread so fine and subtle he hadn’t even noticed its presence tugged at him. A girl came up to him, bounced up might have been a better description, and he could _feel_ Kyouya’s disapproval but she smiled up at him with a smile that screamed she knew more than she would say.

“I’m Miura Haru.” she said, “I’m your Mist”. And Tsuna’s intuition whispered _truth_ at him and he didn’t know her, but her Flames felt like devotion and courage, and a mind full of odd angles, and so he had brushed his hand over her forehead. And because he trusted Tsuna’s judgement Kyouya had grudgingly served her the tea that would complete the bond.

Seven new guardians, and it still wasn’t a full court but it was very close. Tsuna felt half drunk on the rush of their power joined to his, there were reasons this was usually done slowly. But there was no time, and so he and Kyouya had decided to take the gamble, Tetsuya would guard them that night until they adjusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah shameless worldbuilding. Mostly because I wanted to set up for a serious culture clash with the Italian flame mafia.   
> The reason Namimori as a whole knows about at least some of the etiquette involved here, is because over the last several years the Hibari family generally and Fon specifically have been helping the boys consolidate their rule over Namimori. It helps that a lot of the adults are retired criminals and therefore knew a lot of this stuff before. It also helps that Fon managed to get himself a teaching job, to make sure all the kids know how to act around their heavenly kings.   
> So yeah, this isn't their full set, but it's everyone who is in Namimori at this point. (Don't worry. Hayato won't be left out in the cold).   
> If you're wondering why Tsuna is being so formal, it's partly a front to cover for the fact he's actually not at all comfortable with public speaking, and partly that Kyouya is very into tradition and Tsuna is very into Kyouya.   
> The symbolism in the ceremony is pretty straightforward. First they kneel and accept the touch of the Sword (Tsuna)'s primary weapon, in this case his hands, to symbolise their willingness to fight with him. Then they sit and accept refreshment (traditionally tea but anything will do in a pinch), from the Shield (Kyouya) to symbolise that they consider him their home.  
> Tsuna and Kyouya are supposed to be silent so that their Flames can do the communicating.  
> And yes, the whole of Namimori knows about Flames.  
> I might cut away to Dino's pov next chapter. Because I think we need to know what's happening on the Vongola side at this point. And I've decided Dino is definitely the War Sky.


	5. Signed and sealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reborn considers his options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Reborn is not keen to die for the Vongola's idiocy, and he knows exactly how to get out.

Reborn stared blankly into his glass. If anyone had been looking too close they might have been worried by the sight of a baby drinking straight whisky, but the arcobaleno curse had a few compensations and one of them was the tendency of people who didn’t _know_ what he was, to let their attention slide past him like he wasn’t quite present. He didn’t usually abuse that feature to drink alcohol, his body was fucked up enough but if ever there was a situation that called for a drink it was this.

War.

The word sat in his mind like a spider in a web, waiting, hungry. It had been a very long time since the world had seen a true war between Flame Actives. It had been years since anyone had dared, since anyone had been willing to unleash that force of destruction, since anyone had crossed the line so badly as to provoke it. There were reasons the agreements and codes of conduct between famiglias were held to so closely, that the formalities and traditions always always had to be observed. So much power held in such fragile balance, it might just be enough to bring their whole world tumbling down. No-one in their right mind had wanted to start that war. Now the Vongola had started it, without even meaning to. Had started it in ignorance and foolishness, and pride.

What had Timoteo been thinking?

What Iemitsu had been thinking was self-evident, it was the same thing that Iemitsu always thought about, what would be most convenient to _him_ in that moment. Iemitsu had an unfortunate tendency to live too much in the present, it was a flaw in some Skies, and Reborn really didn’t expect any better from him at this point _._ But Timoteo, he should have known better, his mother had _taught_ him better. Daniela would be turning in her grave to know that her son had disrupted the resonance between a Sky pair.

Sealing a child was morally suspect. Sealing _half_ of a resonant Sky, was _stupid._ What did they _think_ Tsuna’s other half would do when he realised what had happened. Or had they not even had the wit to realise Tsuna was bonded. Fools, he was working for fools, and he had no easy way out. There would be war, Reborn had seen it in Fon’s eyes across the table, could taste it in the air of a town that was nowhere near as neutral as Vongola would like to believe. There would be war and he was stuck on the wrong side of it, with the morons that had caused it, with the morons that just might lose.

Reborn found himself deeply regretting the contract he had signed. It had seemed like a good deal at the time. Vongola was a good family to ally with and the terms had been good. War hadn’t factored into his calculations. Now he was trapped, and oh how that _burned,_ unless he found a Sky of his own the contract was binding, and hitmen that broke contract were dead men walking, no matter how good they were. There had to be _rules_ after all.

He’d spent the last three hours composing his report for the ninth. He’d had to restart three times to avoid calling his employer an idiot in writing. He’d spent hours writing it, trying to sum up the sheer scale of this fuckup without calling it a fuckup, and a cynical part of him wondered if his employers would even take this seriously. He had an uncomfortable feeling they might view it as some sort of teenaged rebelliousness, like Xanxus but more civilian and less threatening.

Reborn knew better. There was nothing so manageable as adolescent angst in Tsuna’s eyes, or Kyouya’s, and this war was nothing so restrained as Xanxus’s attempted coup. Scorched earth, that was the warning Fon hadn’t put into words but told him all the same with a look. The ninth might not take this seriously, but Reborn did, and he wasn’t feeling especially keen to die for the Vongola’s mistakes, even if the only way out was to do what he’d once sworn he’d never do again, and Harmonise.

He didn’t want to die for the Vongola, he didn’t really even want to fight for them. They’d _sealed_ a child and expected him to let it slide, _again._ Had he not made his views on the subject abundantly clear last time? It had taken a year to alleviate the damage done to Dino, whose only crime was being born Cloudy enough to want _out._ The whole thing had left a bitter taste in his mouth, had brought up memories he’d tried to suppress, of his Flames turned in on themselves, and his body twisting and shrinking, and the _look_ in Luce’s eyes as she betrayed them all, of the cage his life had become.

He honestly hadn’t thought he’d ever be able to trust a Sky again, but Dino had been young, and innocent, and hurt in far too many of the same ways as he himself, and it had made him slightly ill to realise that this time, he was the one forcing someone else into a path they hadn’t wanted to follow. This time he was on the other side, and he didn’t like the feeling.

He’d broken the seal at least. Broken it the hard way because he was a Sun, not a Storm and it hadn’t been pretty but Dino had been so pathetically grateful when it finally gave way under the weight of a massive overdose of dying will bullets. The contract might have bound him, but that much at least he could do for his student. And then with his Flames and will returned to him, Dino had given him one of _those_ envelopes, the kind that he’d sworn never to accept again, and somewhere underneath the carefully suppressed guilt there was something else, something not unlike hope.

He hadn’t thought he’d ever trust a Sky again after Luce, didn’t want anyone to be that to him ever again, not when the betrayal hurt so much. But there was Dino, who knew exactly what it was to be bound by those he trusted and when he’d offered, Reborn had been tempted, he still was. He still had the elaborately embossed envelope Dino had presented to him, the yellow mirror of the blue one Romario had accepted, lettered in gold with the Cavallone seal pressed into the wax. He still kept it close at hand, even though he’d never imagined carrying one again. The phone number inside was written in Dino’s own hand, elegant from years of expensive tutoring, and calling it would cut Reborn free of any other obligations. He could be Dino’s Sun, free of the ninth’s pride, and Iemitsu’s idiocy. All it would take was a phone call, and that call looked more appealing by the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we have some worldbuilding on Italian flame culture. Which is different to Japanese flame culture. Formal letter writing is very important i've decided. It ties in well with the rings because the mafia rings we see are the kind used for sealing letters and I don't think that's a coincidence.  
> Soon the Dino Xanxus mess will make itself apparent, but not before Dino and Reborn harmonise


	6. Organisational woes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana does not like paperwork, but someone has to do it, and it's not like she can trust the rest of those monkeys with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Hana and Kusakabe get stuck with the boring details of planning a war, and decide they need some help.

War preparations were underway, and Hana had found herself swept up into Kusakabe’s manic organising spree. Something to do with her being one of the only other guardians with any common sense or logistical skills. It wasn’t a point she could really argue with. She loved her Kyouko dearly, but that girl couldn’t balance a budget to save her life, and as for the others, well that didn’t even bear thinking about. She shuddered slightly at the thought of Ryouhei being trusted with paperwork.

Ok so maybe Fon san wouldn’t be too bad, he was a more or less responsible adult after all, but he had his own tasks to attend to, which left Hana and Kusakabe to arrange the stockpiling of supplies and weapons, organise personnel distribution and training efforts, and generally prepare to place Namimori on a War footing.

They had help of course. Her parents had been especially useful in organising the discreet acquisition of various products, particularly the chemicals the Lab Monkey needed for whatever he was doing in the school chemistry labs, and Baseball Monkey’s father had been quite happy to take over combat training when asked. But, ultimately they weren’t Knights, weren’t bound Flame and soul to Namimori’s Kings, Hana and Kusakabe were and that made the final decision on all number of things theirs. Meant that no matter how much they delegated there was work to be done that only they could do. After all it wouldn’t be proper for someone of lower rank to interfere, even if they did have the skills, and traditions were _important._ No-one would respect Namimori as a power if they didn’t observe the traditions.

It would have been nice if either of her Skies had a knack for administrative work, but Hana knew not to waste energy on futile wishes. Cousin Kyouya had been making Kusakabe do all his paperwork since he was about five, and Tsuna, well, he tried, but bookwork of any kind had never been his strong suit, and honestly his time was probably better spent on the training field.

Honestly Hana would have liked to spend some more time on the training fields herself. She wasn’t like Kusakabe, she wasn’t naturally drawn to administration. She was Cloud right to her bones, and a part of her itched for the clarity of conflict, and violence.

But there was no time. There were a thousand and one things to be done, and Hana and Kusakabe were the only ones in a position to do them. Defences to be organised, supplies to be catalogued, treaties to be called on. Kyouko was dealing with that last one at least, much to Hana’s relief. Kyouko was good at diplomatic work, much better than Hana, who would just as soon feed the monkeys their own spines. There was a reason tradition dictated either a Rain or a Mist Knight act as primary diplomat, Kyouko had been holding her smile and being patient with uneasy allies and resentful vassals for weeks solid. Hana could never have kept her temper with them for so long. Even Kyouko was starting to look a little worn around the edges. There was just so much to do, for all of them, all of those who had stepped forward when her Cousin and his Sword had asked for Knights to complete their Court.

Sometimes Hana wondered just what had possessed her to say yes. Sometimes she wondered, but really she knew the answer, had made her decision a long time ago, even if she couldn’t pinpoint exactly when. She remembered the day her parents had told her the power her cousin Kyouya held, that he was the Shield that would defend Namimori against any threat, that one day he might need her help with that. She remembered the day Fon san had arrived at Namimori elementary and started teaching all of the things she’d previously only heard in secret from her parents. She remembered Kyouko saying in a whisper what had been done to Sawada Tsunayoshi, by his own outsider kin, the realisation that knowledge brought, about just what a threat outsiders could be to her _home,_ to the people who lived there, to her _territory._ She remembered looking at Kyouko who she loved, and the brother that Kyouko would follow anywhere, and the way both of them looked at Kyouya and Tsuna, knowing, that the same look was reflected in her own eyes. Somewhere in between the little girl she had been, who had loved the flowers in her parent’s shop, and the fierce teenager she had become, who carried twenty different kinds of seeds in her pockets and could use every single one to kill, she had made a decision. That she would _fight_ to defend what she loved, that she would follow her cousin Kyouya, and his partner into battle and regret nothing. It was a decision every one of them had made, and so not one of them hesitated at the work that needed to be done. They were all of them playing their part.

Lab Monkey Shouichi had been locked in his laboratory since the Kings had held Court, churning out ever more worrying devices to aid in the war effort. The new girl, the Mist, Haru, had spent most of her time in with him, adding a reality bending oddness to his already insane designs. Fon was off working his contacts, and trying to weaken Vongola’s support base. Ryouhei, Kendo Monkey, and Baseball Monkey had all been helping Baseball Monkey’s father with training efforts. Hana assumed it was going well. They were all at least reasonably competent at what they did and she didn’t have _time_ to micromanage. Fuck but paperwork was going to be the death of her.

As for their Skies, well, they were alternating training with the kind of inspirational speeches neither of them was really suited to give. Watching Cousin Kyouya trying to give a morale raising speech had been slightly horrifying to watch, if it weren’t for the bloody cheat that was Sky charisma, he’d have lost his audience with that metaphor about devouring the bones of their herbivourous enemies like the Carnivores they were. At least, Hana hoped that was a metaphor. Cousin Kyouya had always been a bit odd. Tsuna at least was willing to take direction and follow a scriptwriter’s instructions, but his self-confidence issues were… a problem.

Personally Hana would have rather handed the public relations work to someone, anyone else. But appearances were important, and tradition stated that the Sky kings had a duty to rouse the populace, so they were stuck with it.

Hana sighed, and looked over the defence plans again. This wasn’t working. What they really needed at this point was a strategist. She and Kusakabe were doing their best, but he was more administration and logistics than battle tactics, and she specialised in research and combat, not actual war strategies. They needed someone who could actually plan this campaign. An proper tactician would solve a lot of problems, not least because having someone else with enough sense to help with organisational work would massively reduce their workload.

She made a call.

“What is it Hana?” He didn’t sound too bothered by her calling, but then, nothing much seemed to ruffle him, he could be in the middle of a firefight for all his tone gave away. Hana decided not to worry about it, and cut straight to the point.

“Listen. Fon San. Kusakabe, and I have a request, if you can manage it around your work.”

“What do you need?”

“If you could find us someone who can act as a proper strategist and tactician, it would make this whole thing go smoother. Preferably either a Lightning, Mist, or Cloud, might as well try and kill two birds with one stone, and the Court isn’t full yet.” There was a pause while he processed the request.

“I assume you’re asking me in hopes of finding someone with enough Italian connections to know how they’re likely to act.”

“It would be a bonus.” She admitted.

“Are you sure you’re not a strategist? Because that was quite a well calculated move.” She could just _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

“I can do it, but it’s not my specialty, and I have too much on my plate as it is.” She snapped, maybe a little too harsh but she was a _Cloud,_ meant to be free and unrestrained _,_ and she’d been cooped up for weeks with endless paperwork, and a tension born of the anticipation of war. If she didn’t burn off some of that energy soon she was going to do worse that snap at someone. Fon must have picked up on some of that from her voice because all he said after that was.

“I’ll see what I can find. There’s a young independent who I suspect of being a Cloud. If I can track him down I’ll send him to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I made Hana Hibari's cousin. It just seemed to work with the way i've written both characters. She's related to him on the opposite side to Fon though, so she's not Fon's direct relative.  
> And yes, Fon is going to track down exactly the person you're thinking he is. I considered leaving his introduction until later, but I looked at my plan and there's no point in holding it off much longer, things will really start to kick off in a few chapters, and introducing him in the middle of that would interfere with plot events. So Hayato will be making his appearance soon.  
> Honestly I wasn't entirely happy with this chapter, but a number of important things are established in it, and I got bored of revising it, so here it is anyway.


	7. Rocks and hard places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lal gets some troubling news from an old comrade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Lal finds out how much of an idiot Iemitsu has been, and prepares some damage limitation strategies

Reborn’s letter lay open on the desk in front of her, less poisonous than if the envelope had contained a scorpion. It was hard to believe but she knew better than to doubt. A signed and sealed letter was too important for that, was proof that this was serious. Reborn might enjoy his little jokes, but even he wouldn’t put his seal to something like this if it was anything less than truth.

So it was to be war.

A bitter and cynical part of her wasn’t even surprised. Iemitsu had always been too much the centre of his own universe, too much in the moment, with not enough concern for long term consequences. In a way, it had been inevitable that he’d cross the line in some way or another. Him starting a war was hardly a surprise. The real surprise was that he’d managed to start a war with his own son. She hadn’t expected that he would cross the line so badly with his own family. After all, by all accounts he did love them.

Maybe she should have expected it though, because in the end, no-one offered a greater threat to a person’s world view than their own loved ones, the people they cared about. Of course his own family would be the first to suffer when Iemitsu felt the order of his world threatened. Family could disrupt things in ways that nothing else could, especially to a man like Iemitsu, who’d built so much of his self-image, on a certain idea of what his family ought to be. Any threat to that, was a threat to the whole order of Iemitsu’s universe and he was mafia enough that his first response to a threat was always to try and neutralise it.

Lal thought about old legends, of the son growing up to overthrow his father, of fathers devouring their own children to keep such things from happening, and wondered idly just how much stronger of a Sky Tsunayoshi had been, to provoke such a response in Iemitsu.

She wondered somewhat less idly whether this war Iemitsu and the ninth had unwittingly dragged them into was even one they could win. The Vongola was the strongest mafia family, or so they liked to claim, but Japan was halfway across the world, and who knew how their strength might compare. And by all accounts Tsunayoshi and his followers had been preparing for this war for years, while Iemitsu and the ninth, the fools she had sworn herself to, remained in blissful, wilful ignorance of the disaster they had brought upon the whole mafia world. They still thought, were utterly convinced that Tsunayoshi would agree to be the ninth’s heir, to follow in his shoes, and take over the Vongola when he was gone.

Lal might even have fallen for their self-delusions, they were after all so very sure, they must have had _some_ kind of concrete basis for their beliefs. But she was not just Vongola. She was arcobalano, first, first and forever, and because of that there were other bonds for her to turn to, other sources of truth. Comradeship, and shared pain, and courtesies owed that no other loyalties could touch. Because of that, because she was arcobaleno, failed though she might be, there was a letter on the desk in front of her, with Reborn’s yellow, flame infused Seal on it, and _Reborn_ said that Tsunayoshi would see Vongola and all its works burned to ash if he could, that his partner, the other half of his Sky would wish the same, and that a wise woman might not want to be standing in their way when they did so. That Fon stood with them, Fon and no small force of young flame actives. That Reborn himself was considering ways to remove himself from the Vongola, and Reborn always had been good at knowing how to protect his own skin.

Maybe she should be considering her own exit. Most of the other arcobaleno would have been. But Lal was a soldier once, before she was arcobaleno, even before she was mafia, and some principles were hard to leave behind. Just because her commander was an _idiot,_ didn’t mean she was willing to abandon her subordinates on the eve of war. She could work around Iemitsu, and thanks to Reborn’s warning she might even be able to put the CEDEF on a war footing before the fighting broke out.

An afternoon of hurried phone calls and discussions with her more tactically inclined subordinates, and the CEDEF at least knew what was coming, had started to stockpile weaponry, and step up training, and prepare for _war_. The main family were less inclined to listen, but then, relations between the external branches and the main house had always been a little shaky, a little strained. She hadn’t kept secrets from them, messages had been sent out, but it wasn’t her problem if they didn’t listen, if they’d chosen to ignore her in favour of trusting their fool of a Sky. She had her own concerns.

She wondered how the Varia were faring in their war preparations, if they were even willing to go to war for the Vongola after what had happened to Xanxus. There had been no need for her to inform them at least. Reborn had already contacted Viper, and Squalo at least had enough sense to listen to his intelligence specialist when they told him trouble was on the horizon. It would be interesting to see which way they’d fall. They had reason enough after all to hate the Vongola, and even with their boss a frozen hostage to their good behaviour they’d never been predictable. She might be able to influence them one way or another, she was arcobaleno and that had weight. But, honestly she didn’t want to. Timoteo and Iemitsu weren’t worth it, and the Varia had every right to turn on them.

If it weren’t for Iemitsu, she might have done the same, declared the CEDEF independent in truth and let the Vongola burn. But for all Iemitsu was a fool he was still a Sky, still had the influence and charisma that was a Sky’s birthright, and the CEDEF was not immune. Lal was strong enough and damaged enough in her own right that he had little effect on her, but the rest, even those who should have known better felt a persistent tug of loyalty to the man, without some other factor to tip the balance, any attempt at mutiny would likely split the CEDEF in two at a time they could least afford it. Like it or not she was stuck, and considering her commanders were idiots, it would be down to her to ensure as many of her subordinates as possible survived this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dino next chapter, and then things really start kicking off. I considered having Lal defect straight away but honestly, the war would be short and boring if everyone competent switched sides right off the bat, and considering what I have planned for Xanxus the Vongola really need the CEDEF on their sides.  
> And again the letter writing thing comes up. This is a tradition limited to Italian Flame users, but it's so embedded in their culture they don't realise that. That will become significant later, especially when Tsuna and Kyouya start having discussions with Dino and Xanxus.


	8. Broken chains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dino tries not to lose his temper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Dino has a new Sun, and tries very hard not to cross the Vongola the way Xanxus did.

Dino paced, the Cloudy edge of his Flames itching under his skin as he tried to hold his temper. He couldn’t afford to Rage. Not now, not when the Vongola still held so much power, so much respect. Not when everything that was _his_ depended on him being more Sky than Cloud, able to play the subtle political games that made the Cloud parts of himself want to _destroy_ things.

Sensing his agitation, Romario _reached_ out to him with a crackle of green Lightning Flame. It helped a little, the presence of his guardian made it easier to centre in the Sky nature of his Flames, and Skies were fundamentally less volatile. But the Sky in him was angry too, and Clouds weren’t the only element that Raged.

Reborn was _his._ Had opened his letter, and called him, and said that he would be sending his formal acceptance, that he would be coming back to Italy to stand with Dino. Reborn was his Sun, and his Flames couldn’t decide whether to purr in delight at his acceptance, or to snarl at the way the Vongola had tried to corner one of _his,_ until his only way out was the escape clause that all mafia contracts held.

Cages within cages, the Vongola did so love their cages, and they’d communicated that love to their allies. They’d let his father cage him, when the Cloud in him had Raged so hard against the rules and restrictions a mafia heir was bound by that they’d feared he might just break free. Reborn had got him free of that cage, had broken the seal the hard way, without flinching, without hesitating, with a strength of will and soul that Dino couldn’t help but admire. That alone would have been enough to make Dino want him as his Sun, not just gratitude, but _respect_ for the lengths Reborn had been willing to go to, for the sake of following his own principles.

But it was more than that, which made their Flames resonate in ways that neither of them could quite ignore. It was Reborn’s dark sense of humour, his warped but unshakable honour, their shared love of maths and numbers. It was that bone deep, soul deep understanding of what it was to be caged by someone they had trusted, a betrayal that defied words or explanation. They _understood_ each other, of course Dino had asked for Reborn to be his Sun, how could he have done anything else. And Reborn had kept the letter, proof that he felt it too, that kinship, even if he might never have been able to bring himself to answer it and bind himself to a Sky again.

And now the Vongola had tried to trap Reborn again, tried to trap him into fighting their war, which they themselves had started with their love of cages. By doing to another innocent child what they’d done to Dino. His Flames flickered, back and forth between purple and orange unable to settle with the _rage_ so close under his skin.

Hold, he had to hold his temper. It had never been easy, and it had been getting worse over the last few years, but that only made self-control more important. A mafia boss couldn’t afford to lose control, no matter how much they wanted to _rage,_ Reborn had taught him that. And what happened to Xanxus had only reinforced the lesson.

Xanxus had lost his temper, had dared to lash out, and now no-one could say where he was, or what happened to him, except for the chill of intuition that told Dino “nothing good”. It was a cautionary tale for all of them. More than that for Squalo, and for all that Dino wished Squalo hadn’t chosen Xanxus, that he’d had the guts to send Squalo that letter before it was too late, he would never have wanted Squalo and Xanxus separated like this. Not like this, not with the way Squalo looked a little more frayed around the edges every day, not with empty space the absence of Xanxus’s sheer presence left at alliance meetings.

Squalo could have been his, they’d _fit,_ in ways he hadn’t been able to show, half unsealed as he was when they first met. He must have written and rewritten the letter a dozen times, but he’d left it too late to send it. Squalo had met Xanxus, and bonded with him, and all that was left for Dino to d was congratulate him. Squalo and Xanxus _fit_ so well too, better in some ways than Squalo had ever fit with Dino.

Dino had missed his chance, and yet somehow, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t resent Xanxus for that. Envied him yes, but never resented him. After all, it wasn’t Xanxus’s fault Dino hadn’t made his move, that he and Squalo had been such a breath-taking force of nature together. The Vongola had broken that, Dino didn’t know how or why, but now Squalo wandered around half ghost in the all too present absence of his Sky, and Xanxus was _gone_ , and Dino was too smart not to see the warning. Vongola broke things, sometimes without even meaning too, and if Dino wasn’t careful they could break the things that mattered most to him.

They’d broken Squalo’s heart. Dino couldn’t fix that, it wasn’t even his place to fix that. Squalo wasn’t _his_ after all, even if part of Dino still wished, in a way that Skies weren’t meant to wish, about other Skies’ guardians.

There was nothing Dino could do for Squalo, and he had no right to intervene. But Reborn’s reply meant, that with Reborn, Dino _did_ have the right to intervene. The Sun Flame sealed envelope he’d sent signalling formal acceptance of Dino’s offer, made Reborn _his,_ and that meant Dino could protect him, that they could protect each other, and destroy anyone that sought to cage either of them.

That thought was enough to soothe the edge of Rage in his flames. Reborn was on his way, Romario was by his side, and they might not be a full set, but between them they had enough power to be a force to be reckoned with, and they _knew_ what was coming. Vongola’s war would not destroy what was _his,_ he wouldn’t let it.

His Flames calmer, Dino could see the dark humour in the situation. Looked as though the Vongola’s sins had finally caught up with them, they’d wronged someone in a position to make them pay for it, and Dino wondered if it would be more satisfying to watch as they burned, or to join in with the burning.

Another flicker from Romario, accompanied by a gentle hand on his shoulder, and if it weren’t for his practical level headed lightning, then Dino wouldn’t be nearly as sane as he was. Romario was right, they should wait until Reborn arrived, and settled into his Sky, before they made any commitments. After all, no doubt the world’s number one hitman would have useful suggestions to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Dino and Xanxus aren't bonded yet, and in fact don't know that it's possible. They had started to resonate though, which is why Xanxus being on ice has made Dino more irritable. He knows something it wrong, even if he has no way of articulating what.   
> Dino wanted Squalo, Xanxus got there first, there's a reason they both wanted the same Rain.   
> Dino is a very Cloudy Sky in this. About as Cloudy as Kyouya, but with a much more restrictive upbringing. This led to ever an ever escalating cycle of rebellion and repression that culminated in Dino's father putting a seal on him, to keep him from breaking free. (Dino's father is dead now btw, Romario may or may not have decided things had gone too far and taken matters into his own hands.)  
> Reborn is on his way back to Italy to bond with Dino. Bianchi may or may not be following him like a lost puppy.


	9. The winning side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mafia is preparing for war, and Hayato and Shamal evaluate their options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Hayato considers a new opportunity and Shamal revisits an old one.

Something had changed. A shift in the mood, a tension in the air. War was on people’s minds and it showed.

The great powers of the underworld were building up their stockpiles of weapons while the lesser families looked to their patrons, and everywhere, famiglias had stepped up active recruitment.

Hayato wasn’t sure whether to laugh or snarl when families that six months ago had refused to give him the time of day, came to him with promises of rank and belonging and even courtship. Explosives experts were an embarrassment in peacetime. Occasionally necessary but always kept at arms length, so famiglias could wash their hands of the messy aftermath. In wartime though, things were different. In wartime explosives experts were valuable, both as resource and deterrent, and so now, with war in the air families were scrambling to hire every competent demolitions specialist they could find.

Hayato was very very competent, and  now the talent for unsubtle violence that had been so poorly regarded in peacetime, was in high demand. He could name his terms.

He could name his terms, and yet he was unwilling to do so, and the Storm Rage in his soul _blazed_ when the same people that had turned him away before now turned around and asked him to fight and die for them. No. He had that much pride at least, he wouldn’t swear himself to them. They hadn’t earned it.

…

It was less surprising than it could have been, when Shamal called him, when he asked to meet. It was a hard life, being an independent hitman, and it paid to watch each other’s backs when there was trouble in the air, because no-one else would. But more than that, they meant something to each other, hard to define but impossible to ignore. They both pretended not to care, but still, they had never quite found themselves able to abandon each other in a crisis, still they couldn’t break the habit of looking out for each other, even if it had been years since Shamal was Hayato’s mentor.

…

When Hayato looked at Shamal, there was a slight ragged edge to his movements that spoke of tiredness. Doctors were another skillset in high demand during wartime, and not everyone was nice about acquiring them. Explosives experts had a certain reputation, that made most recruiters more polite when approaching Hayato. With Shamal they’d clearly felt no such need and Hayato was torn between wishing he’d been able to watch while Trident Shamal proved why he’d been considered good enough for Varia recruitment, and feeling worried, that they’d managed to bring him so close to exhaustion.

Still, he didn’t say anything. It was an unspoken code of conduct amongst freelance operators, that you didn’t bring attention to someone else’s weaknesses unless you were making a threat. Instead he cut to the chase.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Shamal leaned back in the chair and leered a little at the waitress before responding. Hayato would have been annoyed if he hadn’t known it was part of his persona.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed there’s trouble building.” Hayato restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Of course he’d noticed. Everyone and their vision impaired dog had noticed. But it was always like pulling teeth persuading a Mist to get to the point. Hayato was used to it by this point.

“What do you know?” Because of course Shamal knew something. For all that he was in a very non-typical career path for a Mist in a lot of ways he was a typical Mist, and Mists always did have a knack for knowing more than they should.

“I know it’s a bad time to be an independent operator.” He said and Hayato bit back a snarl. He _knew_ that. But that didn’t mean he was willing to forgive and forget and agree to let someone recruit him. He was many things, Storm and Cloud, and everything but Mist and Sky, everything but deception and harmony. Compromise was not in his nature. Shamal must have seen something of that in his face because he sighed.

“I know that the Arcobaleno are worried, and when the seven strongest worry, little people like you and me go to ground. This isn’t a little squabble over territory. This is the real thing.”

“What do you know Shamal?” That name drop of the Arcobaleno wasn’t casual. Whatever it was that Shamal knew, it was either related to the Arcobaleno, or was information he had got from one of them. Possibly both. It was common knowledge that Shamal was at least friendly acquaintances with Reborn, and had treated a number of the other arcobaleno on more than one occasion.

“The Vongola is probably going to burn.” Shamal said flatly, deadly serious, and it was all Hayato could do not to choke in shock. The Vongola had stood since the dawn of the mafia, powerful and unassailable, it had threads woven into every corner of mafia life, the idea that it might fall was… almost unthinkable.

But Shamal was saying it and if Hayato had read his cues right, he had it from an arcobaleno, and a lifetime on the streets had taught him that unthinkable things happened every day. Vongola was falling, and Shamal was warning him to get out of the crossfire.

“What do you suggest then?” Hayato said, with a wild tension in his voice halfway between fear and exhilaration.

“I got a message from the Storm Arcobaleno. He says the other side are looking for a strategist. Preferably a Cloud, or Lightning.” Shamal said, suddenly false casual again, watching for a reaction.

Hayato froze. That was, if they were asking for specific Flame types that meant they were looking for Guardians, not just skillsets. A Sky. He was being offered a chance at bonding with a Sky. One who had almost a full set already, if all they were asking for was Cloud and Lightning, and that meant they were strong. It sounded too good to be true.

“You think it’s a good idea?” Hayato asked, because on the one hand a _Sky,_ a _home,_ it was more tempting than words could describe, but on the other, signing up to go to war with the Vongola seemed like suicide, he couldn’t see clearly enough to decide.

“The Storm Arcobaleno certainly seems to think so.” That was interesting. So whoever these people were, an Arcobaleno thought they could win, enough so that he’d thrown his lot in with them. That made the whole thing sound a lot less like suicide. Shamal paused for a moment before continuing. “In any case you need to pick _someone_ to side with before it all kicks off, and I know you don’t have it in you to choose any of those idiots who turned you away when they didn’t need you.”

And there it was, a flicker of relief in his eyes when Hayato finally nodded in acceptance. A sign of that caring that neither of them would admit to. Shamal had put himself out to warn Hayato about what was happening, and to offer him options, and both of them knew it meant _something._ Not quite family but the closest thing either of them had. So Hayato looked at the worn edges of Shamal’s façade and he asked.

“What will you do?” Because neither of them had ever quite managed to shake the habit of watching each other’s backs. Shamal paused for a long moment before replying.

“I think I might revisit that offer the Varia made to me. I’ve heard interesting things about what might be going on in their compound.” The look curiosity blended with mischief on his face was enough to set Hayato’s mind at ease. There was clearly no danger of Shamal letting himself get pushed into a position he wasn’t happy with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to go straight into Tetsuya's view of Hayato's arrival in Namimori, but I decided that wouldn't make sense without first establishing Hayato's pov. Then Shamal showed up unexpectedly and hijacked the chapter.  
> I have plans for Shamal.  
> Next chapter we swing back to Namimori to see how Tetsuya's doing, then we get to see what Squalo makes of all this.


	10. Logistical nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya likes paperwork, but a little more help wouldn't go amiss. If only Hana hadn't set Fon onto the task of fixing that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kusakabe is very very busy, and Hayato arrives in Namimori.

Planning a war came more naturally than Tetsuya could ever have imagined.

Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him. The first step was of course to secure their own territory. And that, after all was something that Tetsuya had been working on since he was six years old and new harmonised, just barely beginning to grasp the wrong that had been done. A wrong done to Tsuna, and through him to Kyouya, and through both of them to Tetsuya himself in ways that his six year old self could feel but not understand. A wrong done to the whole of Namimori, because the Sky is the heart and soul of the heavens, and the Vongola had tried to _cripple_ Namimori’s Skies.

He’d never felt anything before or since to match Kyouya’s rage when Tsuna’s flames had gone cold. It had taken years for Tetsuya to fully grasp the depths of the damage Tsuna’s sealing had done. To Tsuna, to Kyouya, and through them to Tetsuya himself. At the time all he’d known was that there was something deeply, sickeningly, _wrong,_ and it had felt like it would never be right again.

He’d been only six years old. Just starting to feel the first tug of Sky attraction, just starting to realise the way he could make green sparks dance over his fingertips. His parents had been so proud.

He’d been six years old, too young really, for things to have moved so fast as they did. But Tsuna’s flames had gone cold and Tetsuya could _feel_ Kyouya’s rage from across the town, could feel the way Namimori’s Shield Sky was unravelling, and an instinct older than words had told him that he was needed.

So he’d walked across town alone that night, driven by an impulse he didn’t have words to explain to his parents. Climbed out of his window, still in his pyjamas and socks and walked all the way to the park where he could _feel_ Kyouya Raging. If he’d been a Rain, maybe he could have calmed Kyouya, if he’d been Mist he might have distracted him. But Tetsuya was Lightning right to the bone, so all he could do was put himself in the path of Kyouya’s rage and try to ground him.  They’d fought for hours, and by the time the sun rose they were both battered black and blue, but Kyouya’s initial rage had simmered down enough to allow for rational thought, and they had Harmonised and that made it all worth it.

A part of Tetsuya had been planning war ever since, so maybe it wasn’t as surprising as all that to find it came naturally to him.

…

There was a lot of paperwork involved, and somehow, the lion’s share of it always ended up being Tetsuya’s responsibility. After all, he was good at it, and it wasn’t like either of his Skies was suited to desk work. He actually found it rather soothing. There was just something about making all those little pieces of paper dance, turning neat spreadsheets and annotated calendars into supply chains and training schedules.

Kurokawa san always looked at him funny when he tried to explain it, but then, she was a Cloud, she didn’t like being pinned down to a desk when she could be fighting. He almost felt bad about conscripting her to help with admin. But the fact was there were only so many hours in the day and no matter how efficient Tetsuya was, there was just too much to do. Hana sensible enough to understand that, even if she did resent it.

There was power in those little pieces of paper though. Power that could make or break his Skies, depending on how well he handled it, and he was Lightning, it was his _job_ to put himself between them and the harm they could not defend against. On the battlefield they could defeat any enemy, were terrifying alone and nigh unstoppable together, they didn’t need his protection on the battlefield. But in this, in this they needed him, and from the time he was six years old he had never once hesitated when they needed him.

So he stayed up late, and woke up early, and he made calls, and played with numbers, and kept files on every citizen and affiliate of Namimori. It worked, Tetsuya took pride in just how well it worked. But it was exhausting, and even with Hana’s help, often it felt like more than he could handle.

So it was with a certain amount of cautious relief that Tetsuya realised Fon sensei had sent him a present.

It was of course, Hana’s idea. She could be ruthlessly practical when it suited her, and she’d seen very clearly how a strategist could be useful, in lightening their workloads, in predicting what the Vongola would do. And since they were recruiting, it only made sense to try and kill two birds with one stone and see if they could find another knight for their court. Tetsuya could see the logic of it, but still, he did wish she’d talked to him before setting Fon sensei on the problem.

Not that Fon sensei was a _bad_ choice for finding someone. Fon excelled at pretty much any challenge he set his mind to. It was just that, despite his careful poise, and self control, Fon was still a Storm right to the core. He got the job done, but there tended to be a certain amount of… collateral damage.

Tetsuya still shuddered at the memory of those first few weeks after Fon had taken over as sports teacher. The whole school was terrifying by the time he was done, but the astroturf had never recovered.

Still, Tetsuya reserved judgement. Collateral damage wasn’t, necessarily a _bad_ thing, in its place, and Fon was old enough, and wise enough, to be good at spotting talent. Tetsuya sent a message to one of the disciplinary squad’s lower ranked members to pick him up from the train station as he settled in to read over the file Fon had sent.

Young, that was good, more chance of a Harmonisation if he was of an age with the rest of them and no doubt Fon had taken that into account, and of course being young meant there was less likelihood of inconvenient existing entanglements.

Genius level IQ, independent hitman, so far so good, that meant he already had a pretty good idea of the way things worked. And if Fon had called him in as a strategist he must be able to _use_ that IQ in a practical way.

Tetsuya read on. Explosives expert, now that was interesting, Tetsuya refrained from raising his eyebrows. On the one hand that was a useful skillset, on the other, explosives experts tended to be a little… volatile. Of _course_ Fon approved, destruction was in his nature. Still it was manageable, certainly it was a considerably more manageable issue than Tetsuya had feared Fon sensei might land them with. After all they were hoping he might harmonise, and a Sky was usually a stabilising influence. They could handle a little volatility. It looked like Hana had made the right decision after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya bonded with Hibari when Tsuna was sealed, before Kyouya bonded with Fon actually. But Fon bonded Tsuna while he was prying the seal off,, before Tetsuya could. This means they are both, technically, senior guardian.   
> I feel like it's not realistic to assume that absolutely every character prefers fighting to paperwork, and that if any character were to actively like paperwork it would probably be Kusakabe. Still there's a lot to do, and more resources are always useful, Tetsuya is perfectly willing to give Hayato a fair shot.


	11. Picking sides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squalo is not happy with the Vongola

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Squalo and Dino have a very productive meeting

Squalo couldn’t help but think how Xanxus would get such a kick out of all of this. Out of watching the trash panic and scurry in the face of war. It was the kind of thing that would have made him _smile_ with all his teeth and no little madness, before he lit himself up in blood red and Sky orange and led them out into the madness and destruction that they _lived_ for.

He would have found the trash’s reactions absolutely hilarious. Fuck knows Squalo did, and if Squalo found something hilarious it was a safe bet his Boss would as well. They matched well that way.

The smaller families heard whispers of war, and they panicked. They panicked and scurried around like the mice that they were. He could almost hear them squeak, and it made him grin wide and deranged to watch them scurry for the shadow of greater powers, scurry for strength in numbers, scurry for any safety they can find.

It was possible Xanxus’s absence hadn’t been doing good things for Squalo’s state of mind.

The greater families, the Powers of the underworld, they’d also heard the rumours. They didn’t panic and scurry of course, they might not be Quality, but they had some sense of dignity. They didn’t scurry, but they weren’t calm either, and it was a different kind of amusement, watching while they battened down the hatches, while they reinforced their positions and reaffirm their alliances and made double double sure of their forces, and eyed each other suspiciously over the barricades. Honestly, at this point the mysterious enemy wouldn’t even have to _show_ for the war to start, the great powers of the underworld had driven themselves to such a fever pitch of battle ready paranoia that they’d have to fight _someone,_ and at this point they almost didn’t care who.

The Varia of course had heard more than rumours, the Varia were fucking Quality, they’d never settle for less than solid information. Xanxus fall might have left his own out of favour, shut out by the ninth, and half crippled by the loss of their Sky, but they were still Quality, still the most dangerous fuckers in the world, and if the ragged ragged edge of Xanxus absence had left them a little… unhinged, well, they’d been mad to begin with, a little more only made them more dangerous.

In any case they were Quality, and more than that, they counted Mammon of the Arcobaleno amongst their numbers, and if Mammon said a thing was so, it was fucking so. Mammon said the Vongola was going to fall, was going to _burn,_ and the thought made Squalo _smile._ Fuckers had it fucking coming, and Squalo would be damned if he lifted a finger to help them, not when his Sky was still _frozengonehurting_ at their hands.

It was pretty strange though, that the Vongola hadn’t come by to make demands though. If they were going to war, logically they should be at least _trying_ to mend some bridges with their shock troops. In fact, as far as Squalo could see they weren’t making _any_ of the preparations he’d expect for a family going on a war footing. It made no sense, Varia informants were Quality, no way were the main family good enough to keep that scale of operation from them. It made no sense, unless… the Vongola didn’t know they were going to war.

And wouldn’t that be the most hilarious joke of all. That the mighty Vongola, the centre and cause of this war, were the one family in the whole Mafia who _didn’t_ know what was happening.

Although that was, perhaps a little unfair. Lal Mirch over at the CEDEF at least, seemed to have her head screwed on right, and plenty of the Vongola’s underbosses had started making appropriate preparations. No to be fair, it wasn’t the Vongola as a whole that didn’t know what was coming. That was all on idiot Iemitsu and the Ninth, and the strange reality they lived in where consequences were things that happened to other people.

Squalo was going to _savour_ the moment where that delusion came crashing down, and he knew he wouldn’t be the only one.

He smiled at the sight of someone else who would likely savour that moment.

Dino Cavallone, right on the edge of Rage but settled in his own skin in a way Squalo had only seen him on a handful of occasions, with a wild edge that made Squalo want to eat him up. His presence felt steadier than it usually did, less ragged, the last time Squalo had felt Dino’s aura settle that way had been when he bonded Romario.

Squalo smiled. Looked like Dino had finally found another guardian. The smile froze in place when he cast his eyes over Dino’s entourage and registered just who Dino’s new Sun was. Well now, that was unexpected.

There was Romario by the door as expected, steady and efficient, and devoted in the way of Lightinings, but at Dino’s back. Small enough that Squalo had almost overlooked him, half concealed by Dino’s figure, the Sun arcobaleno, Reborn. Dino had bonded with fucking Reborn.

Impressive.

It reminded Squalo. There had been a point he’d half thought Dino might offer for him. A point where he’d thought that maybe, just maybe, he might say yes if the horse had the balls to ask. Dino might have been hopeless back then, but there had been _something_ there, a viciousness that Squalo wouldn’t have been averse to binding himself to.

But then Squalo had met Xanxus, and he’d _known_ that they belonged together, that Xanxus was his Sky, always and forever.

Xanxus was Squalo’s Sky, always and without question. They both knew that to be true. But unspoken in all their meetings was another truth. That in another life, one where Xanxus wasn’t there, Squalo might have been Dino’s. That they fit well enough that they could have bonded.

It resulted in a certain… tension. One that had led Squalo to try his best to keep Xanxus and Dino apart, to keep his distance from Dino, back when Xanxus had been free. Because Xanxus was Squalo’s Sky, and Dino was his friend, and he really didn’t want to be the cause of them fighting to the death. They could _probably_ control themselves, but, they both had a tendency to Rage, and it was best not to tempt fate.

It was funny really, the very thing that had made him step back from Dino before Xanxus was frozen, now had him actively seeking out opportunities to meet with him. Because Dino wasn’t Xanxus, wasn’t his Sky, but in another life he could have been, and it was enough to soothe the ragged ragged edges of Squalo’s Flames when he felt all sharp and cold inside and couldn’t _think_ around the empty void in his core where Xanxus should be. It didn’t make it right, nothing could make this _right,_ but the soothing brush of a compatible harmony helped him hold it together, and Squalo wasn’t too proud to turn aside anything that might help him keep it together until he could get Xanxus back.

Maybe it wasn’t fair to use Dino like that. After all, Squalo might have been Dino’s once and now never would be. That had to hurt. But Dino never said a word, just offered the support of a friend, and Squalo wasn’t a good enough person to turn him away. Moron was a grown adult anyway, he had a right to make his own stupid decisions.

Dino wanted to talk about the War of course. Just about everyone wanted to talk about the War. Capital W and everything. Which, fair enough, it was big news. It just got a little repetitive after a while.

At least it did, until Dino opened his mouth.

“So”, he drawled, with the smug smirk that he only ever used when he knew something that the rest of the room didn’t. “I take it you’ve heard about the war?”

“VOI, of course I’ve heard about the war Bronco. Everyone’s heard about the fucking war. Get to the point.” Dino just smirked some more.

“I’m sure you’ve met my new Sun.” Squalo didn’t dignify that with an answer. “Well, anyway, Reborn here had some fascinating details to share with me, when he got back from his last mission for the Vongola.” It looked like Dino was settling in to drag this out all day, but the Arcobaleno spoke up.

“Get to the point Baka Dino.” And the warning note was enough to pull Dino up short.

“Well, anyway. Reborn managed to find out exactly what was coming for the Vongola, and he decided to send me a Letter.” Squalo froze as he teased out the layers of meaning in that last sentence. Reborn, the single most terrifying bastard in the underworld, had gone on a mission for the Vongola, found out what kind of trouble the Vongola was in, and he’d decided to _use_ the Sky bond escape clause to cut ties with the Vongola.

“That bad huh.”

“The Vongola.” The Arcobaleno said primly. “Has declared war on a bonded Sky pair with the backing of the Storm Arcobaleno and left them alone for ten years to build up an army and plan their revenge. And as far as I’ve been able to work out, they won’t even admit they’re in trouble. I have no intention of going down with a sinking ship, and I’ve always had a soft spot for my former student.”

“So what’s your play then, Bronco?” Squalo leaned back in his chair. “I assume, since you’re here, you are not planning to side with the Ninth and his pet monkey.” Dino’s eyes flickered purple as he replied.

“With the men who authorised my father caging me? No. I have no love for Timoteo of the Vongola. I rather think it’s time for the Cavallone to make their own side, don’t you?”

“And you want Varia support.” That much was obvious and Dino didn’t bother trying to deny it.

“I figured we could help each other. After all, I sincerely doubt you want to side with the man who stole your Sky.”

“Good point. But you’re going to have to try harder than that. What exactly did you have in mind?” It was tempting. The Varia wasn’t set up to stand alone without the support of a family, and all their strongholds were technically Vongola holdings. Squalo had no intention of lifting a finger to help the Vongola in the coming war, and the Vongola didn’t have the capability to _force_ them, but there was no denying it would make things difficult for the Varia. Cavallone support would mean they could cut ties with the Vongola entirely, would never be beholden to Timoteo and his kin again, and Squalo _wanted_ it.

But just because Dino’s offer was tempting, didn’t mean Squalo was going to be stupid enough not to read the fine print. So he sat and waited for Dino to make his offer.

“We bring the Varia into the Cavallone family. Independently run of course, but supported by us. We move you and yours to Cavallone land, and give you all the means you need to cut ties with the Vongola. In exchange you fight with us, and back whatever plays we make politically or strategically.” Squalo considered for a moment, but really there was no hesitation. He refused to let the Varia go down fighting with the fuckers that had stolen his Sky.

“I’m in.” He grinned then, all shark teeth and predatory intent. What’s our first move. Dino’s answering grin was equally predatory.

“Why, we’re going to break into Vongola headquarters and steal Xanxus back of course. The Cavallone can’t very well leave one of their allies imprisoned by the enemy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that chapter got kind of out of hand. On the plus side, Mission rescue Xanxus is a go.  
> Squalo is not doing well with Xanxus missing. None of Xanxus's guardians are, but Squalo has the added stress of trying to keep the Varia afloat and independent while on the outs with the Vongola main family, and keep all the rest of the crazy assassins on task without a Sky to Harmonise them. It's stressful, Squalo is stressed. And Dino might not be his but he is a friend, and he does have compatible Sky Flames, and so his presence is soothing.   
> Incidentally Squalo's heroic efforts to keep Dino and Xanxus apart for fear they'd fight over him is actually why Dino and Xanxus didn't bond before Xanxus went on ice. He'll be kicking himself for that later. They do know each other, but pretty much only from formal settings with lots of witnesses.


	12. A house in order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyouya is very pleased with the way his life is going. Especially when it comes to his adorably lethal Sword Sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Tsuna shows off for Kyouya, and Kyouya is impressed. And Hayato is looking interesting.

Kyouya regretted _nothing._ Sawada Tsunayoshi had grown up to be everything that Kyouya’s six year old self had known he would. Kyouya’s instincts had told him Tsuna would have fangs one day, and a true carnivore always trusted their instincts. Watching as Tsuna blasted his way through a good dozen lower ranked members of the disciplinary committee without breaking a sweat, Kyouya felt a sense of deep satisfaction at being proved _right._

This training session wasn’t actually for Tsuna’s benefit. Tetsuya had insisted that their soldiers needed to get a sense for what it was like to face off against an active Sky _before_ the war actually began, and Tetsuya was generally very good at knowing what their forces needed in order to operate most effectively, so Tsuna had agreed to give them a demonstration. It was after all only proper. A king of the Sword should take an interest in the readiness of his troops, just as a king of the Shield should be aware of the state of his fortifications.

The fact that it gave Kyouya a chance to watch his Sword on the hunt, was just a pleasant bonus.

Red tinged, orange Flames blazed out over the training field, scorching the ground and sending Tsuna’s opponents scrambling for shelter. One enterprising girl had used Lightning Flames to harden her coat into a shield, but the rest were reduced to crouching behind pieces of debris, as Tsuna stood in the middle of a firestorm and smiled. It wasn’t just the destruction that was impressive. It was the sheer control it showed, to be able to unleash that kind of force without risking actual injury to his sparring partners.

“Wao.” Kyouya couldn’t help but breathe softly. Cute, fluffy, and utterly lethal, Tsuna was everything he could ever imagine wanting in a partner, wrapped up in some of the most powerful Flames Kyouya had ever felt. There was a reason the two of them were able to hold the Storm Arcobaleno in their shared court, and it wasn’t simply familial affection.

Together, there was not a force in the world that could defeat them, they’d made sure of that, in the years since the Vongola had last visited. Kyouya had sworn, all those years ago, that one day they would be strong enough that no-one could _ever_ try and cage them again. Enemies had entered _his_ territory, and wounded _his_ partner to the soul, and then they’d left. They’d left Tsuna crippled and caged, and Kyouya alone and furious, with no idea when they might return, what else they might take when they did, and Kyouya had sworn _never again_. Kyouya had sworn, and Tsuna had backed him with all the Rage that the new red tint to his Flames had to offer, and that oath meant war.

There would be war, and Kyouya regretted nothing. In fact he was looking forward to it, to the chance to test his fangs against a true enemy, to watch those who looked to him do the same. His Tsuna would rain down fire and destruction on the false carnivores as only a true carnivore could, and when the enemy tried to strike back against their territory, Kyouya would be waiting, and when it was all over Tsuna would come home to him to raise baby carnivores and rule their kingdom together.

Kyouya’s parents had promised him that future when he was four years old and first showing signs of being Namimori’s Shield, when he was six, and just starting to connect with his newfound Sword, when he was seven and successfully bonded to one of the world’s seven strongest. In between all the lessons, on combat, and etiquette, and how to maintain order and harmony in a community, they had promised, and Kyouya’s parents knew better than to lie to a Sky, even a baby one. They had promised him the heavens, if he wanted it, if he was willing to accept the duties that came with ruling, and Kyouya _wanted._ Namimori was _his._ He _wanted,_ but his parents had also warned him that if he wanted that future he’d have to _make_ it happen, and Fon had been sure to reinforce that lesson. There were people in the world that would try and challenge his rule, if the Vongola’s actions hadn’t been enough to make that clear then his uncle’s lessons on underworld politics would have made the point.

…

Fon’s politics lessons also suggested that their newest recruit was more interesting than initially predicted. It wasn’t immediately obvious. Gokudera Hayato was smart, smart enough to cover high class formal manners with the rougher, but equally strict codes of behaviour that street kids lived by. And he covered well, Kyouya had no doubt that Gokudera had spent time living on the streets, the habits were too natural to be an affectation. But underneath it there were still the traces of something more polished, not the manners that Kyouya had grown up with, different culture, different traditions, but something similar, and Kyouya was intrigued.

Intrigued and concerned, because anything that made a young carnivore flee his den before he was grown couldn’t be good. Yet more sins to lay at the feet of the Italian mafia, Kyouya suspected. Something would have to be done about that, if Gokudera swore himself to them. Threats to his court couldn’t be tolerated after all. Such things had to be dealt with before they disrupted the harmony of the world he was building for his Sword and his Knights to live in.

And it did look as though Gokudera would swear, and deeper than would usually be expected for a former independent operator. For all the obvious culture shock, and reasonable paranoia, it was obvious that he was looking at their court and seeing things that he wanted very much. Kyouya resisted the urge to preen at the knowledge that their court, the orderly home he had built, was such an appealing prospect.

Gokudera was an appealing prospect himself, both Kyouya and Tsuna agreed on that. The taste of his Flames was powerful, and intriguingly complex. Multiple flames, cleverly used, and Gokudera was a lot better, a lot more skilled than he let people think. Kyouya wanted to fight him, both to see just how good he really was, and to show off just how good Kyouya was, to prove that Kyouya could keep him safe from everything that had him flinching at shadows. There was a possibility there, and if Gokudera asked to swear as a knight, Kyouya thought he would probably accept.

It helped that it looked like Tetsuya and Hana approved as well. Their opinions carried _weight_ , and not just with Kyouya and Tsuna, those two were after all in charge of a great deal of the practical logistics of this war, and they were respected accordingly. They were good at seeing what the Court _needed,_ without the distraction of _wanting_ that he and Tsuna had to manage, and they thought Gokudera’s insight was useful, that his head for strategy and insider knowledge of mafia politics, were something worth holding on to.

Perhaps a conversation with their new recruit might be in order. As Shield it was his job to see how a potential new recruit might fit in to the court, to decide whether a courtship was worth pursuing.

But first, there was Tsuna, his adorable, deadly hunting partner, who was looking so very disappointed at the unconscious bodies surrounding him. Clearly they hadn’t been enough of a challenge, as expected of the Sword that could match Kyouya. There were Flames still dancing under his skin and behind his eyes, itching to be used, and Kyouya could feel his own rising to match.

He could feel himself grinning with bloodthirsty anticipation as he stood up and drew his tonfas. Watching Tsuna fight always made him _want,_ fighting or… other things, it didn’t really matter, and since the time wasn’t right for other things, Kyouya was happy to fight.

Purple tinged orange blazed out and twined itself into red orange as Kyouya launched his attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyoya likes cute fluffy things, and deadly things. Tsuna is basically his equivalent of a dream girl.  
> Kyouya is actually pretty hard to write.
> 
> And yes, Hayato is basically Sky bait at this point, at least by Namimori standards.  
> I think i'm going to have to go back to Hayato's pov next chapter to get the full effect of the culture shock and the outsider pov.


End file.
